During the forty days until Easter of the Resurrection there are six ways to “take advantage” of the gift of indulgences.
Newsroom (09/03/2022, 09:50 AM Gaudium Press) The season of Lent, which began with Ash Wednesday, is a time of conversion and a call to increase the practice of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; but it is also a favorable occasion to receive a Plenary Indulgence.
According to the Manual of Indulgences ‘Enchiridion Indulgentarium’ of the Apostolic Penitentiary, an indulgence “is the remission before God of the temporal punishment for sins already erased as guilt, which the faithful Christian, duly disposed and fulfilling certain and determined conditions, obtains through the mediation of the Church, which, as administrator of redemption, authoritatively distributes and applies the treasury of the merits of Christ and the Saints.”
The Indulgence can be partial or plenary, that is to say, it frees in part or in whole the temporal penalty of sins; it can be applied for oneself or for the faithful departed, not for other persons who are still alive.
The Plenary Indulgence can be gained only once a day, and it is necessary that the faithful exclude all affection for sin, even venial, and the fulfillment of three conditions: approaching the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Eucharistic communion, and praying for the intentions of the Holy Father. With a single sacramental confession, several plenary indulgences can be gained.
How do you obtain these graces in Lent?
During the forty days until Easter of the Resurrection there are six ways to “take advantage” of the gift of indulgences: The Way of the Cross each Friday, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for half an hour, Praying the Rosary as a family or in community, Reading of Scripture for half an hour, Adoration of the Holy Cross, Prayer before the Cross.
The practice of the Way of the Cross every Friday during Lent
Through the Way of the Cross, the sufferings that Jesus experienced on the way from Pilate’s palace, where he was condemned to death, to Mount Calvary, the place where he gave his life for the salvation of men, are made present and made concrete.
To receive the Indulgence it is necessary that the pious prayer of the Way of the Cross be performed in front of the legitimately established stations, that is, 14 crosses are required, to which images that represent the stations of Jerusalem are usually added, and to which pious meditations and vocal prayers are added.
If the meditation of the Way of the Cross is done in a public way, it requires moving from one station to another. Although the movement cannot be made by everyone, it is enough for the person leading the exercise to move from station to station.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament for half an hour
The faithful Christian can also gain the Plenary Indulgence if he/she makes adoration before the Blessed Sacrament for at least half an hour. The Indulgence is partial if the visit is shorter than this time, and as long as he approaches the Blessed Sacrament with the intention of adoring Him.
Praying the Rosary as a family or in community
Another way to gain a Plenary Indulgence during Lent, and also at other liturgical times, is by reciting the Holy Rosary. According to the Manual of Indulgences, the faithful can gain the Plenary Indulgence if they recite the Rosary in a church or oratory, in a family, or in a religious community, as well as in an association of the faithful. The Indulgence will be partial if the Rosary is done outside of these circumstances.
Reading the Sacred Scriptures for half an hour
The faithful can also receive the Plenary Indulgence if they read and meditate on Sacred Scripture for at least half an hour. The Indulgence will be partial if the faithful Christian reads Sacred Scripture with the veneration due to the Word of God and as a source of spiritual reading in less time.
The Adoration of the Holy Cross
Although it is part of Good Friday, in addition, a Plenary Indulgence is granted to the faithful Christian who on this day meditates on the Passion and Death of Our Lord by piously adoring the Cross in the solemn liturgical action.
Praying before the Cross: “Look at me, O good and sweet Jesus”
In addition there is a Plenary Indulgence for the faithful who piously pray the prayer “Look at me, O good and sweet Jesus” prayer before the image of the Crucified Jesus after Communion on any Friday in Lent. The Indulgence is partial if it is prayed on the other days of the year.
“Look down upon me good and gentle Jesus
While before Thy Face I humbly kneel.
With burning soul, I pray and beseech Thee to
fix deep in my heart lively sentiments of
Faith, Hope and Charity; true contrition for my sins
and a firm purpose of amendment.
“While I contemplate with great love and tender pity,
Thy five most precious wounds, pondering over
them within me and calling to mind the words which
David Thy prophet said of Thee, O my Jesus:
“They have pierced My hands and My feet; they
have numbered all My bones.” (Ps. 22)
(EPC)
